Featuring the most important points to be considered while buying earthmoving equipment.  With the growing industrialisation of construction work, the role of onsite equipment is vital in achieving productivity and efficiency. During the construction phase, selection of right equipment has always been a key factor in the success of any project. Here we present you the important points to be considered while buying earthmoving equipment.Inherent concept and designJCB is one of the leading manufacturers of earthmoving and construction equipment. Explaining the important criteria for buying earthmoving equipment, Jasmeet Singh, Head – Corporate Communications and External Relations, JCB India said, “There are multiple aspects that need to be looked at to ensure that customers derive maximum output from our machines. The first and foremost is the inherent concept and design of the machine. At JCB, we manufacture products to ‘One Global Quality’ which means products manufactured in India can be used in any part of the world. These products have been designed to perform in demanding Indian working conditions.”According to Vijay Kalantri, Chairman & Managing Director, Dighi Port Limited, “Most of the breakdowns happen due to difficulty in handling at the operator level hence the design of the product should be such that any operator can easily handle it with minimum skill instructions. Earthmoving equipment are responsible for operating in highly insecure scenarios and safety feature like emergency stop switches which could stop the whole equipment by putting mechanical break in the entire operation in case of emergency, is a major requirement.” Machine reliability Sharwan Agnihotri, Head Marketing & Business Development, Hyundai CE India observes that key buying factor for buying an excavator depends upon the type of business a customer is in. He adds, “A retail customer who offers his machine for rental to local contractors and builders looks for low initial investment and operating cost of the machine whereas a customer in captive usage for time bound completion of project looks for productivity and total cost of operation for the economic life of machine. Machine reliability becomes a shade more important for customers who are using machines on time bound projects where delays attract penalty and early execution is rewarded.”Hyundai CE has worked on improving the performance of machine by adding features like fuel saving kit and air pre-cleaner on the machines. Machine reliability is improved by adding reinforcement to high stress areas and optimising the linkage design for effective transfer of forces, Agnihotri claims. Analytical capabilities for sensing, diagnosing, communicating and storing the problem records truly make Hyundai Machines Smarter.Advanced technologyCASE India sells and supports a full line of quality construction equipment around the world offering the most advanced technological products suited to the basic Indian requirements of high fuel efficiency and productivity, claims Shalabh Chaturvedi, Head of Marketing, CASE India. He points out some of the basic criteria that can be considered for buying equipment that help to enhance operator comfort which in turn increases productivity and keeps the pollution under control:•    Advanced engine and hydraulics: To increase the machine’s durability focussing on the use of quality engines along with regular maintenance across their equipment which helps deliver excellent fuel efficiency.•    Design of air filters / fuel filters: This will help the engines to control the waste gate control mechanisms with Internal Exhaust Gas Recirculation system (IEGR) to minimise the emissions (like Nitrogen Oxides and Hydro Carbons) and protect the environment.•    Optimal fuel efficiency: The machine must have a multi-curvature mouldboard which reduces the resistance coming on the engine and hence reduces the fuel consumption.•    Structural stability and ease of maintenance: On providing easy engine compartment access along with daily service checkpoints for quick and efficient maintenance of equipment. •    Tracking and monitoring technology: This helps equipment installed with a unique trip meter on the operator dashboard that continuously monitors the fuel consumption, hours operated and operating temperatures.Machine availabilityEarthmoving and construction equipment works in tandem with a variety of other machines on site. The work application is often sequential in nature. Thus any breakdown of the equipment, adversely affects the chain of events thereby leading to delays at site efficiency. After sales support plays a critical role in ensuring maximum machine availability and is an important factor in the buying cycle, opines Jasmeet. Over the years, JCB has also set-up the largest distribution network in the industry with 63 dealers and 650 outlets. These outlets are spread across India, employing over 6,000 trained professionals to cater to different customer requirements.“Mining contractors who are working for over burden removal at coal mines look for machine availability, amount of earth moved per litre of diesel consumption and customised after-sales offering like full maintenance contract, on-site posting of engineers or stocking of spare at site,” said Agnihotri from Hyundai CE.Kalantri adds, “Earthmoving equipment manufacturers have to be consistent with its quality and durability to avoid frequent breakdowns which ultimately leads to delay as time is the essence in any contract work, reliability of equipment is of utmost importance.”Operators comfortHyundai understood the need of various customer segments and incorporated value added features to enhance operators comfort and convenience by offering powerful air-conditioner in cabin with improved airflow ducting, height adjustable operator seat and fuel filling pump to reduce unproductive time spent by the operator. Provision to remotely monitor & manageJCB has invested in the technology and introduced the state-of-the-art telematics technology called JCB Livelink which helps JCB customers remotely monitor and manage their machines. It maximises the productivity of the machines by providing real time alerts on service, operation and security benefits to the machines owners. “Our machines are already fitted with this technology and customers with Livelink enabled machines get SMS alerts on their mobile phones or smart devices – the information is also available in real time. Close to 30,000 JCB machines are working and are enabled with this innovative technology,” informs Jasmeet.JCB India has a wide range of earthmoving machines including of its flagship product Backhoe Loader, Tracked Excavators, Wheeled Loaders, and Soil Compactors. All these products are backed by efficient product support network.Maximum productivity at lowest costThe traditional way to choose equipment was by its performance, in terms of maximum productivity at the lowest cost, acknowledges Ratan Lal Kashyap, Sr. Vice President – Procurement, G R InfraProjects Ltd. With the current government focus on development of infrastructure projects in India the dynamics of capital equipment procurement has changed. The changing business scenario, high volumes of infra projects in pipeline, contractors’ seriousness to be part of economic growth, new construction methodologies have led to the introduction of latest technology earthmoving equipment termed as future ready plants and equipment. Being L1 in a high competitive market and making profits out of the same has become a big challenge. Completing projects before time saving on overheads and getting bonus as per contractual provisions could be the strategy to make business viable. In this context, Kashyap observed, “Appropriate resource deployment with guarantee of uptime and optimum cost of operation is one among the major criteria for equipment procuring.”Return on investmentWhile buying earthmoving equipment one has to take a decision based on the best mix of technical and commercial factors depending on the jobsite requirement. “One has to justify that the amount invested in the purchase of equipment will be recovered during the useful period of such equipment,” said Niraj Bhatia, General Manager – Commercial, Luxora Infrastructure Pvt Ltd. Bhatia also highlights some of the technical factors which should be considered while selection of earthmoving equipment:Material typeMaterial type of a jobsite forms the topmost criteria in selection of an earthmoving system. Experienced engineers recommend the required equipment based on the jobsite e.g. different equipment are used for rocky soils, wet clay, sandy soil, etc. The recommendation is based on smooth excavation and loading of the material.Hauling distanceHauling distance plays a vital role in selection of vehicles and equipment. Small vehicles will do fine when hauling distance is small. But if earth has to be excavated over longer distances, then a bigger, stronger vehicle would be required. Smaller vehicles won’t be able to sustain the pressure for so long, and there are possibilities of break down ending up in additional repairing costs.Condition of towing roadsBesides considering towing distance, one should also consider conditions of towing roads before finalising an earthmoving system. Rough roads will exert more pressure on vehicles as they’ll have to exert more power increasing fuel consumption. Also it is important to select a system that will be able to stay as steady as possible and will go economical on fuel too.Some standard selection factors for evaluation are:•    Equipment should be standard equipment if possible.•    Should provide best service at low cost.•    Should be cost effective i.e. its unit cost of production should be moderate.•    Should be easily repairable thus low on downtime.•    Should suit the majority of the requirements of the job.•    Should be capable of doing more than one function.•    Whether to buy or hire based on nature and duration of work. Brand name does matterPankaj Udeshi, Asst. General Manager – Procurement at Supreme Infrastructure India Ltd said, “We do not hesitate for procuring and investing in machinery which is very advanced in technologies, can deliver quality work and manufacturer provides excellent service support. For purchase of machinery, its make and model are most important to us: brand name does matter.”He adds, “The tangible factors for procuring and investing in earthmoving machinery include technical specifications, site conditions and cost consideration whereas the intangible factors are qualitative and include safety considerations, company policies regarding equipment acquisition, market conditions and environmental constraints.”Supreme Infrastructure India Ltd. consider various parameters at the time of procurement are which include cost, suitability to the application, life of equipment, matching equipment in a fleet with tasks, service supports, and experience and reputation of the equipment manufacturer.